Matt Ray Plays Hoagy Carmichael, Lincoln Center, American Songbook

January 27, 2018 @ 8:30 pm

Jazz pianist, vocalist, and “ingenious” arranger Matt Ray (New York Times) takes us through an evening highlighting the music of one of the essential architects of the classic American Songbook. To help him, he enlists singer Kat Edmonson, who delivers songs with an airy voice evocative of Blossom Dearie that invites audiences to “close their eyes and pick whatever time best suits their listening pleasure” (Charleston Post and Courier). Ray is best known for his work as music director for such downtown luminaries as Joey Arias, Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett, and Taylor Mac with whom he shared the 2017 Kennedy Prize for Drama for A 24-Decade History of American Popular Music. Like Ray, the Texas-born, Brooklyn-based Edmonson has internalized decades of American songs and styles. Together with other surprise guests, they cast a spell over The Appel Room with personal favorites from Carmichael’s vast catalog, which includes “Stardust,” “The Nearness of You,” and “Georgia on My Mind.”